Workshops
Click on the title of the presentations below to view the PowerPoint presentations. The Flash browser plugin is required. If your browser does not have this component it can be downloaded free at www.macromedia.com
To navigate the slide presentation, use the navigation bar that appears when you place your cursor at the bottom right hand side of the slide.
Demonstration of In-Season Nitrogen Management Strategies for Corn Production - John Sawyer, John Lundvall, Jennifer Hawkins – Iowa State University.
This presentation will share results of ongoing field demonstrations hosted by Iowa producers. The demonstrations compare traditional single preplant or early sidedress N application rates to pre/in-season split application, with decisions for in-season N application based on results of plant N stress sensing through use of hand held chlorophyll meters. Corn yield response is used to compare effectiveness of each N management strategy.
CSP: The Iowa Experience.
Jim Gillespie and Tom O’Connor – USDA/NRCS.
A panel discussion on the current status and experiences of participants in the Conservation Security Program from the perspective of state level coordinator Tom O’Connor, Area Program Specialist Kristy York, and an enrolled ag producer Kurt Johnson.
Demonstration of performance-based management strategies to improve water quality - Chad Ingels – Iowa State University
The development and demonstration of performance-based incentives to encourage watershed project participation in three northeast Iowa watersheds will be discussed. Three primary performance measures will be explained and early watershed results will be presented.
Agronomic and Environmentally Sound Utilization of Nutrients in Poultry Manure - Antonio Mallarino – Iowa State University
The status of CRP and the options available - Brian Peterson – State Grassland Specialist , USDA/NRCS, and Mark Licht – Iowa State University.
Over the next couple of years roughly a million acres of CRP contracts will expire. It will be important to make informed decisions about the future use of that land. This session will explore re-enrollment options as well as the various options for conversion to production agriculture and the importance of conservation compliance in doing so.
Subsurface Drainage and Nitrate-Nitrogen Leaching from Fifteen Years in North-Central Iowa - Matt Helmers – Iowa State University
A drainage water quality study near Gilmore City, IA has been ongoing since 1990. Three different phases have been conducted investigating the impacts of nitrogen rate and timing on drainage water quality. This session will summarize the results relative to volume of subsurface drainage and nitrate leaching from this study.
Grazing Management Effects on Sediment and Phosphorus Loading of Pasture Streams by Stream Bank Erosion and Manure Deposition - Dan Morrical, Jim Russell – Iowa State University
Because excessive forage removal, hoof traffic, and fecal deposition along stream banks may be associated with uncontrolled grazing of riparian areas, the effects of management methods that alter the temporal and spatial distribution and activity of grazing cattle on stream bank erosion and manure deposition need to be evaluated. The data to be discussed in this presentation are the preliminary results of a study conducted at the Rhodes Research Farm evaluating the effects of three systems (continuous grazing with full access to a stream, continuous grazing with access restricted to stabilized crossings, and rotational grazing with stream access limited to managed grazing of the riparian paddock) on stream bank erosion; forage ground cover, height, and mass; manure distribution, and cattle distribution.
Panel Discussion: Producer perspectives for adopting conservation systems - Moderator: Jackie Comito – Iowa State University. Panelists: Rick Juchems, Jerry Crew, and Robert Pridie.
The Iowa Learning Farm project’s goal is to improve Iowa’s water quality through increased use of conservation systems by exchanging ideas, knowledge, data, and experiences among producers, educators, scientists and other stakeholders. This panel brings together four ILF cooperators to discuss the conservation systems on their operations, specifically the management and conservation techniques being demonstrated as a part of this multi-year project. They will share their insights into the social variables influencing conservation decisions and explore ways to further foster a conservation ethic among producers in Iowa.
Conservation adaptation history and water quality in two CEAP watersheds, Jasper County, Iowa - Keith Schilling – Iowa Geological Survey, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
The 10-year Walnut Creek Watershed Monitoring Project was completed and project results are presented. The project evaluated water quality changes resulting from large-scale land use change, including conversion of row crop land to native prairie at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge In Walnut Creek watershed as well as conversion of former CRP land back to row crop in a paired, control watershed.
Using plants for field-scale conservation - Jeremy Singer – USDA-ARS National Soil Tilth Laboratory
A discussion of ecosystem services provided by cover crops and living mulches with examples from Iowa research.
